Neck Support Pillow

ABSTRACT

A support pillow providing head and neck support to a user laying upon it. The device employs a support pillow insert surrounded by a pillow casing having planar top and bottom surfaces and a sidewall extending between them. An insert engage able in the casing provides substantially planar support surfaces with a centrally located passage providing a relief for positioning one&#39;s head on the pillow. Proper support and spine alignment is provided by a shoulder portion of the pillow for the neck which may be formed of different material than the pillow, or varied in with or compressive force using inserts.

This Application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/659,876filed on Oct. 24, 2012 which is a Continuation-in-Part to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/250,915 file on Sep. 30, 2011 which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/388,502 filed onSep. 30, 2010, and the application additionally claims priority toInternational Application Publication WO/2012/045032 filed on Sep. 30,2011 as Serial Number PCT/US11/54405, with all of the above notedapplications respectively included herein in their entirety by thisreference thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to pillows providing head support to usersin a prone or sitting position where a pillow is employed. Moreparticularly, it relates to a pillow configured with a central reliefarea, and improved neck support component forming a support bridge,which is configured to appear as a normal pillow to allow for use inconditions where non conventional pillow shapes might not engage withlinens, might cause the user embarrassment, or might otherwise beundesirable. So configured externally, the pillow underneath an exteriorcovering is constructed with a support bridge adjacent to a relief toaccommodate the head, and thereby provide a person who is laying proneor supine, or sitting vertically in a chair with a pillow behind theirneck, greatly improved neck support.

2. Prior Art

Conventionally, pillows consist of a top and bottom surface sewntogether at the perimeter edges to form an exterior casing which definesan interior cavity which holds stuffing or padding. This single sewnseam central engagement structurally causes the top and bottom surfacesto slope alongside edges toward the circumferentially located seam. Theslope is somewhat of an arc from the widest point of the pillow at a midsection toward the seam from the top and bottom surfaces. Gussetedpillows are also provided which employ two circumferential seams withmaterial therebetween, but they too slope toward a central top area.

The padding-stuffed central portion of the pillow, even without thesloping surfaces, conventionally support the user's head laying upon it,in such a fashion that the user's neck is angled upward from the axis oftheir spine, when laying on the pillow prone on a surface and in asupine position on a bed or support surface. In addition to a strainingof neck posture, this unnatural neck sloping reduces the support givento the neck, compresses disks of the neck on one side, can be veryuncomfortable, and can even cause permanent damage over time.

One solution tried is to simply replace the filler material such ascotton, feathers, or similar pillow stuffing, with a stuffing whichconforms and contours more accurately with the anatomy of a humanindividual's neck and head shape. This contour of course will varywidely from person to person due to height, neck length, and otherreasons related to body size and structure. Such contouring can also bedependent on foam or filling density and temperature which can varywidely, and is therefor not an adequate solution for solving the majorproblem of misalignment and resulting discomfort in a dependable,repeatable, ongoing basis. Many more attempts at the perfect pillow havebeen made and are seen in prior art.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,303 to Tanaka et al. teaches a cervical and headsupport pillow consisting of a pillow casing with a plurality of foaminserts inserted within the casing. Inserts are combined in a variety ofmanners to allow the user to obtain many types of support on the neckand head. A vexing problem with pillows, with such inserts, is that auser may, on accident, lose or misplace any or all of the inserts anddeem the device useless. Similarly, if the inserts are positionedincorrectly, or have a foam density that is too high or too low, thedevice in question may only further complicate neck or head discomfortexperienced by the user.

Various other support devices have been proposed and are shown in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,020,174 to Sarkozi, D582,0455 to James, and 5,123,132 toDixon, all of which require user aided adjustability and do not provideuniversal comfort and support. However, such pillows follow the samegeneral scheme of prior art of changing foam stiffness and formingcontours to adapt to the neck and head which do not adapt well to mostusers.

Still further, conventionally employed bed pillows as a rule are filledwith stuffing material such as polyester, or feathers, or down, or foam,or even the new memory foams. All these materials retain the heatproduced by a user's head while laying upon it. Humans radiate more heatthrough their head than any other part of their body, and for a personsleeping for the night, or even for a nap on a hot day, the laying oftheir head on a heat retaining conventional pillow can becomeuncomfortable and may interrupt a good night's sleep. A simple solutionis to merely flip the pillow over, but this of course inhibits thesleeping pattern of the user who must awaken heated, and flip theirpillow.

As a consequence, conventional pillow users continue to suffer from thisvexing combination of lack of support to their neck, terrible angledposture which can cause injury over time, and overheating from thepillow stuffing heat retention characteristics. Further, manyindividuals suffer irritation and sleeplessness from the long period oftime sleeping will put pressure on their ear. When user's sleep on theirside, with an ear against a pillow, the weight of their head causespressure to sandwich their ear between their head and the stuffing inthe pillow. This, as noted, is uncomfortable and undesirable. Thispressure can build and cause the user to wake and once again interrupt agood night's sleep. Similarly, when positioned with an ear against thepillow, it is often difficult to hear from the ear contacting the pillowdue to the pressure of the surface of the pillow from the interiorstuffing against the ear which causes a muffling of sound around theuser. For users hard of hearing in their other ear, this is dangerous.For other users, it may be desired to retain adequate hearing from bothears independent of sleeping position on the pillow.

Still further, the many support pillows seen on television andadvertised in photographs generally have an appearance that isunconventional and are sized unconventionally. Rather than appearing aslarge rectangular pillows with smooth top and bottom surfaces, mostsupport pillows are smaller than a conventional pillow and have humps onthe edge, or other odd contours. These unconventional shapes are aproblem for users who may have spent hundreds of dollars on beddingbecause they will not fit and fill out a conventional pillow case in anaesthetic manner. This is especially true where the bedding is on adouble bed and a conventional pillow is located adjacent to a currentmode of support pillow. As a consequence, many potential users of necksupport pillows avoid using them and continue to suffer, rather thanhave bedding that appears odd or damaged from the odd and unconventionalshape of available neck support pillows.

As such, there is a continuing unmet need for an improved pillow headsupport device and system which provides a pillow which will provideeven neck support to the user no matter the sleeping position. Such apillow head support should also provided substantial alignment of theirneck with the axis of their spine for both side and back sleeping users.This alignment is most important to prevent injury over the long term.Still further, such a pillow should employ interior support componentsand a structure internally which will self-conform the neck support andalignment of the neck to a wide variety of the shapes and contours ofuser's heads and necks. Still further, such a pillow should provide thisimproved support while concurrently eliminating or reducing the bodyheat build up in the pillow over short or long sleeping periods.

Still further, to allow widespread use and employment in venues andhomes which will not use unconventional appearing support pillows, sucha neck supporting pillow should appear to viewers as a conventionalpillow and be conventionally engageable with conventional pillow casessuch that the cased pillow appears normal or the same as a casedconventional pillow in the same bed. Such a pillow should have thisconventional rectangular pillow appearance while still providing thebenefits of support and adaptability to user body shapes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device, herein disclosed and described, achieves the above-mentionedobjects and goals, through the provision of a pillow having a gussetedor seamed exterior covering, configured to form a pillow cavity forhousing a support pillow within. While a non-gusseted cover with theinterior support pillow of this invention would still be an improvement,in the preferred mode of the device, the cover for the interior housedsupport pillow is gusseted so as to provide a more even side surface andtwo substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces.

The pillow cover forming the interior cavity for the support pillow isformed of top and bottom fabric walls providing opposing exteriorsurfaces for the head of a user, and interior surfaces forming theinterior cavity of substantially a rectangular shape. A sidewallgusseted panel communicates between the perimeter edges of both the topand bottom surfaces and is engaged thereto in a conventional fashionsuch as sewing. The interior cavity can be sealed by complexly sewingthe gusset for the perimeter of the pillow or a means for accessing theinterior cavity can be provided in the form of an elongated openingwhich may be closed by a zipper, buttons, or other conventional means ofclosure.

The interior cavity is configured to hold the support pillow therein,and allow the exterior of the pillow cover to stretch over the passagecommunicating between the two sides of the support pillow, and allow itto appear as a conventional pillow, and to engage within conventionalpillow cases and linen, in a manner where the center of the pillow casedoes not settle into the passage. Instead, the linen set havingconventional pillow cases will appear to cover a normal feather orotherwise stuffed pillow, with the support pillow inserted, thus theexterior of the pillow cover appears as a normal pillow to viewers andwill engage within conventional pillow cases and provide a normalappearing pillow when placed with other bedding which is most importantto many people who have extensive and expensive linen sets they wish tocontinue to use normally.

The support pillow insert is positionable within the interior cavityformed within the gusseted pillow cover. The support pillow insertfeatures a top surface, bottom surface, and perimeter side surfaceextending therebetween. This renders the shape and dimension of thesupport pillow insert substantially a cooperating shape to the interiorcavity and adapted to engage within the similarly shaped interior cavityformed by the pillow cover.

The sidewalls of the formed support pillow, assembled with the overlainpillow cover, are substantially vertical to the support surface thepillow rests upon such as a bed. This provides a step of sorts, from thetop surface of the pillow supported on the bed or other surface, to thesupport surface.

For a side sleeping user, the height of this step can be chosen tomaintain their neck substantially aligned with their spine. A pluralityof different sized pillows with different height side surfaces can bemade available for users to choose the most comfortable. Alternatively,the gusset may be formed of slightly elastic material and planar supportpillow inserts provided in a kit to allow users to adjust the height ofthe top surface above the support surface to their liking and comfort.

In a substantially central area of the support pillow, between thecircumferential gusset sidewall, there is formed a passage communicatingbetween apertures formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the device.The passage may have a cross section which is substantially circular,oval, square, rectangle, or other suitable shape. However, the currentpreferred shape is circular or oval due to the even stress this provideson the fabric communicating therethrough. It is anticipated that thepassage can be square, rectangular or oval in shape and the applicationis considered to include these other shapes within the scope of the useof the term passage herein.

This passage communicates substantially between respective aperturesformed on the top and bottom surfaces of the support pillow engaged inthe interior cavity. This passage may communicate entirely through thesupport pillow or may be covered on the top and bottom surface by a verythin layer of stretch fabric and communicate therebetween. Consequently,unlike other support pillows which attempt to use different fillings,different shapes, and different contours of the support pillow, thedevice herein employs a passage of support in this center area of thesupport pillow which is hidden by the overlain pillow cover when thesupport pillow is engaged within the interior cavity of the pillowcover.

The inserted support pillow interior cavity surrounding this passage isfilled with support material. It may be filled with one, or acombination of, filler material from a group consisting of down, downsubstitute, polyester, Dacron, feathers, micro-beads, foam, gel, beans,buckwheat, water, or any other filler material that will fill theinternal cavity of the insert. When properly filled, the insertedsupport pillow will have support provided by the filler, in the areaaround the passage.

In use, the pillow, with the inserted support pillow engaged within theinterior cavity of the pillow cover, looks like a normal pillow. This isespecially preferred in that the formed pillow may be engaged inconventional bed linens, and the pillow can be sized in conventionalpillow sizes to fit twin, full, queen, and king beds and linens in afashion where the linen pillow case covered pillow will appear as anormal pillow even if positioned next to a non-support pillow. However,the pillow device herein employs the passage to allow the projectingportions of a user's head to settle into the passage. This is truewhether the projecting portion is the ear of a side-sleeper or the backrear of the head of a back sleeper, or the nose and face of aface-sleeper. With the projecting portions of the head settling into thepassage, in virtually all positions, the side of the pillow is of aheight to allow the neck of the user to stay aligned with their spine,while laying down.

Additionally, a shoulder portion of the support pillow insert, formedbetween the sidewall of the support pillow and the aperturescommunicating with the passage, is positioned perfectly to support theuser's neck. This shoulder support portion also supports the neck inalignment with the spine of the user during their prone position in bed.Further, for even more enhanced support, this shoulder portion can befilled with viscoelastic polymer gel infused memory foam, such asvisco-elastic polyurethane foam with viscoelastic polymer gel beadsinfused. Unlike conventional memory foams which collapse over timeduring sleeping, the gel beads infused in the solid solution of memoryfoam maintain the vertical support ability of the formed foam. While acenter portion of harder foam sandwiched between memory foam might work,it has been found that the even support provided by infusing gel beadsinto the memory foam during manufacture evenly distributes the gel beadsthroughout the entire shoulder support providing more even support.Further, unlike normal foam and memory foams, which are hot and tend toretain heat, the gel infused foam transmits heat and does not retain it,providing cooler support.

Similarly, since the passage is filled with air, this also provides ameans for dissipating heat from the user's head and allows the user'shead to be maintained at a cooler temperature when laying upon thepillow herein. This is due to the fact that air in the passage will notretain heat as well as the conventional foam or down or feather pillowfiller material.

Furthermore, the passage provides a means for reducing pressure on theear when the user is positioned on their side, greatly increasingcomfort. When positioned on their back, the projecting portion of therear of the user's head will comfortably engage within the passage andalign the neck while so positioned. Finally, the reduced pressure of thepillow cover against the ear, due to the passage in support, helps toalleviate any muffling of some sounds that would normally occur from theuser's ear contacting the surface of a conventional pillow.

Further, the shoulder portions can be formed of different widths toaccommodate varying neck lengths of users. In one mode, this may beaccomplished by positioning the passage in a location off-center, orslightly off center such that the shoulder portion on one side will bewider than the other. Alternatively, in another mode, the width of theshoulder portions can be varied by forming a recess communicating fromthe sidewall of the pillow adjacent the shoulder portion towards thecentral passage. Thus, the shoulder portions can be varied whilemaintain the central location of the passage. In all modes, however, itis known that some users have longer or shorter necks, and a wider ornarrower shoulder portion can provide a means for accommodating this.

In other preferred modes, enhanced neck support may be accomplished byforming the shoulder portions of the support pillow with either a raisedprotrusion or curved recessed cavity extending normal to the plane ofthe pillow surface. In one preferred mode, the shoulder portion mayinclude a substantially central protrusion of foam or other materialwhich extends above the planar surface of the pillow. Such a protrusionwill provide a means for resistive bias against the neck of the user forenhanced support. Alternatively, the shoulder portion may be formedhaving a substantially central curved recess which extends below theplanar surface of the support pillow. Thus, a means for cradled necksupport is provided.

In yet an additional preferred mode, enhanced neck support may beprovided by one or both shoulder portions employing pocket portionsformed and configured to cooperatively receive inserts from a kit ofinserts adapted for additional neck support. The inserts may beelongated cylindrical shape and can be foam of various durometer ratingsfor hardness, memory type foam, or mixtures of memory and BLUEFLEX typegel memory foambeads, and/or heat or cold packs. If a heat or cold packtype insert is employed, the pocket preferably includes a plurality ofapertures or perforations communicating between the pocket and pillowsurface as a means for enhancing the thermal communications to the user.The inserts may also vary by thickness and may be plastic or polymerinserts which are flexible and stiffer than foam.

Additional enhanced neck support can be provided by forming thepreferably elongated cylindrical inserts, with an axial cross section,and profile being that of having an upward or downward curvature. Anupward curved axial profile toward the two planar support sides of thepillow may herein be provided by having a substantially centralprotrusion which is higher/thicker than distal ends. In this manner, theinsert would protrude slightly in the middle, in the bridge section, andprovide a means for resistive bias against the neck of the user forenhanced support. The resistive bias can be adjusted by forming multipleinserts, of differing density foam materials such as latex foam from 2-8pounds per square foot. The inserts may be provided in a kit of insertseach formed of a different density per square foot foam between the 2-8pound range. By changing to an insert with a softer foam of lowerdensity or harder foam of higher density, users can infinitely adjustthe resistive bias of the force of the collapsing foam insert againstthe weight of their neck, to use one insert that collapses and biasesoutward from the collapsed position, at a point of equilibrium thatmaintains the user's neck in the proper alignment.

Alternatively, a downward curved axial cross section may be provided byforming a central portion of the insert which is lower/thinner than thedistal ends. Such an insert would therefor provide a means for cradledsupport of the user's neck.

Still further, the kit of different inserts may be provided to the userhaving varying degrees of upward or downward extensions which allows theuser to selectively employ as needed for this insert, also just as notedabove, to allow the user to choose the density material for the insertwhich yields a collapsed configuration and outward bias to hold theirneck in a desired alignment for that user visco-elastic memory foam.

The weight of the memory foam is determined by the amount of chemicalsused. The more chemicals, the higher the density and the morevisco-elastic the memory foam will become. The density will notdetermine the hardness of the material, this is measured by the ILDrating (see below). Many memory foam mattresses use anywhere from a 3 lbfoam to a 5 lb per square foot weight foam density. From experimentationon many subjects, it has been found anything less than 2 lbs per squarefoot, will generally not qualify as visco elastic memory foam and notoffer the same therapeutic qualities.

Memory foam and other foams are also measured by the ILD rating whichmeasures how hard or soft a foam material is. A 25% ILD rating is thenumber of pounds required to achieve a 25% compression of a 4″ thickfoam using a 50 square inch indentation. For example, a 20 ILD foamindicates that this material took 20 lbs of pressure to indent this foam25%. Keep in mind that the higher the ILD, the firmer the foam. For thedevice herein, most memory foams, such as visco elastic foams, will bein the lower ILD ranges between 20 to 40 ILD with 20 being a softer moreeasily compressed material. Generally, there is a direct relationship tothe density of pounds per square foot, and the ILD rating of thematerial, be it visco elastic foam, latex foam, polyurethane foam, orother foam materials. With memory foam materials to yield the 20 to 40ILD a 2 to 8 pound per square foot material is desirable.

By providing such kits of inserts, with varying external shapes, andwith varying densities of material to yield the ILD between 20 to 40,such as latex or viscoelastic or polyurethane foam materials, in thenoted range of 2-8 pounds per square foot, users can substitutedifferent shaped and density inserts to yield a compressive resistive oroutwardly biased force of the insert, that aligns their neck in acomfortable manner. This may take some trial and error on the user'spart, however, ultimately using the correct insert of the correctdensity of the correct foam and shape, from a kit containing dozens ofsuch members in different shapes, densities, and materials, every usershould be able to find a sweet-spot for their individual posture.

It is particularly preferred that the pocket employed for engaging theinserts would have to have a slightly smaller axial length than theinserts, such that when inserted, the distal ends of the insert arepositioned near or outside the edges of the pocket. In this manner, whenweight of the user's neck and head is put on the bridge, and thus theinsert, the ends of the insert stop and are fixed in position at theside edges of the pocket, and therefor maintain their dimensional shape.

With respect to the above description, before explaining at least onepreferred embodiment of the herein disclosed invention in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and to the arrangement of the components inthe following description or illustrated in the drawings. The inventionherein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practicedand carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilledin the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of description andshould not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptionupon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basisfor designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying outthe several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstruction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from thespirit and scope of the present invention.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved means for necksupport on a pillow through the provision of a pillow insert configuredwith a passage in support and which is engaged to a support pillow coverwhich can be employed with a pillow case of conventional linens.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a support systemwhich forms a planar support surface for the head by employing a gussetstyle sidewall engaging the top and bottom surfaces of both casing andinsert.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a passage insupport, centrally located on the support pillow insert, to provide anarea to position projecting parts of the user's head within, whether theuser is on their back or side.

Still yet another object of the invention is the support shoulderportion formed between the passage and the sidewall providing superiorneck support.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a reduction ofpressure on the ear or face when positioned as such through theprovision of the passage described above.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of a supportpillow that is adjustable for users with especially large or small bodyframes.

These together with other objects and advantages which becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of the construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts a top view of the assembled device showing the supportpillow insert engaged within the interior cavity of the pillow casing,and depicting in dotted line, a centrally located passage in the supportpillow insert providing a centrally located relief and substantiallyequal sized shoulders for user neck support.

FIG. 2 depicts a top view of the device of FIG. 1, shown with thepassage located off center slightly to provide shoulder sections forneck support of different sizes.

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of the support pillow casing covering theinternally housed support pillow.

FIG. 4 depicts a side view of the support pillow casing, showing thegusseted construction of the sidewall thereby forming a substantiallyplanar head support surface.

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of the support pillow casing andshowing an opening on the sidewall for insertion of the support pillowinsert within the interior cavity of the support pillow casing.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of the support pillow insert depicting thecentral position of the formed passage communicating between the top andbottom surfaces.

FIG. 7 depicts a side view of the support pillow insert showing thepreferred substantially planar sidewalls and the passage providing meansfor pressure relief provided by the passage (in dotted line).

FIG. 8 shows the device herein assembled with the support pillow insertinside the support pillow casing and inserted within a conventionallinen set pillow case to achieve a normal appearance thereof.

FIG. 9 depicts an exploded view of a height-adjustable and firmnessadjustable mode of the device with an insertable center portionengageable between two engageable half sections.

FIG. 10 shows a slice through a shoulder portion of the device showingfoam material forming the shoulder and which may also form the remainderof the support pillow.

FIG. 11 depicts another slice view through a shoulder depicting a modeof the device having a center portion of the shoulder formed of a hardermaterial such as a viscoelastic polymer gel foam and the opposing sidesformed of softer material such as visco-elastic memory foam and whichmay also form the remainder of the support pillow.

FIG. 12 depicts another preferred mode of the device wherein theshoulder portion is formed of a foam material such as visco elasticmemory foam which has gel foam beads disbursed in the solid solution offoam material and which may also form the remainder of the supportpillow.

FIG. 13 shows the support insert of the device herein wherein thepassage is oval in shape.

FIG. 14 shows the support insert of the device herein wherein thepassage is rectangular in shape.

FIG. 15 shows a top view of another mode of the device showing a unitarybody support pillow configured with recessed shoulder portions providinga means for varying the shoulder portion width.

FIG. 16 shows a cross sectional view along line AA of FIG. 15 depictinga means for enhanced neck support by forming the shoulder portion havinga substantial concave recess thereby providing a means for cradled necksupport.

FIG. 17 shows a similar cross section depicting concave recess employedon both sides of the shoulder portion.

FIG. 18 shows a similar cross section having a substantially convexprotruding shoulder portion as a means for enhanced neck support.

FIG. 19 shows the protruding shoulder portion employed on both sides ofthe pillow.

FIG. 20 shows a combination of both a shoulder recess and protrusion onopposite sides of the pillow.

FIG. 21 shows another mode of the device providing a means for enhancedneck support through the provision of pocket elements formed on theshoulder portions which are configured to removably engage a necksupport insert.

FIG. 22 shows the neck support insert engaged within the pocket showingthe ends of the insert extending past the open ends of the pocket.

FIG. 23 shows an end view showing a preferred cross section of theinsert being substantially circular.

FIG. 24 shows an end view of another preferred cross section of theinsert being substantially rectangular.

FIG. 25 shows a kit of a plurality of inserts each having various axialprofile provided different neck support.

FIG. 26 depicts a perspective view of the device of FIGS. 15-20 havingrounded perimeter sides and corners and formed of a unitary constructionwithout a pillow case thereon and showing the slit providing access toshoulder pockets for inserts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings of FIGS. 1-26, wherein like numerals referto like parts there is seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 a top view depiction of theas-used position of the device 10 wherein a user would lay their headupon the upper facing surface 11. Of course the device 10 can beinserted within a conventional linen set pillow case 13 as in FIG. 8,and appear like a normal down or feather stuffed pillow making thedevice 10 employable by those who will not use other support pillowswhich appear contoured or do not fill out the pillow case 13 properly.

The position of a passage 22 formed into the support pillow 20 containedwithin the pillow casing 12, is depicted by the dashed line. The passage22 in FIG. 1, is seen centrally located relative to the length and widthof the pillow 20 and when in the as-used position shown, remains in asubstantially central location on the device 10. This positioning formsshoulders 30 or neck support portions, extending between the edge of thepillow 20 to the circumference of the passage 22 which are substantiallyequal. The passage 22 being void of material, so positioned providesmeans for dissipating heat from the user's head during use andadditionally a relief when supporting the ear overhead to allow for lessmuffling of surrounding sounds.

In FIG. 2, and in FIG. 15, the passage 22 is shown having itscircumferential sidewall 29 defining the passage 22, a distance “D”closer to one side edge 26 of the pillow 20 than the opposite side edge26. In this mode of the device 10 the shoulders 30 are preferably formedin unequal sizes having widths W1 and W2 shown in FIG. 15 and are solidalong their respective axis across the gap on each side of the passage22 so as to provide support. This difference in width, allows users withdifferent length necks, to choose the shoulder 30 having the widthbetween the side edge 26 and the circumferential edge of the passage 22,which is most comfortable supporting their neck.

The neck support provided by the shoulder 30 positioned between thepassage 22 and side edge 26 of 20 provides improved neck support whenthe user settles their head on to the upper facing surface 11 and placesone side of their head over the passage 22 which is covered by thesidewall of the casing 12. Such neck support is provided independent ofthe user's body position, whether laying on their back or side. Further,since projecting portions of the user's head are accommodated by thepassage 22, the user's neck remains in proper alignment whether sleepingon a side or their back.

The material forming the shoulder 30 of the support pillow 20 (FIG. 6)can be the same material as the rest of the support pillow 20 or can becustomized in the area of the shoulder 30 for increased support orlessened support as the case may be and as depicted in FIGS. 10-12.Currently, a mixture of more supportive and compressive foams as inFIGS. 11 and 12 are preferred since the user sleeping on the device 10for many hours a day, for many months, will have a tendency to wear inthe softer material and support for the neck can decrease.

FIG. 3 shows the top view of the casing 12 in the as used position withthe support pillow 20 housed in an internal cavity formed by the upperand lower wall of the casing 12 which is connected by a gussetedsidewall. As can be seen the side view of FIG. 4, the casing 12 employsa gusset sidewall 16 communicating between the top surface 14 and bottomsurface 18. The gusset sidewall 16 provides a means for maintaining aflat pillow surface. This is in comparison to conventional pillows whichare joined at a central seam and which tends to arch or bend the pillowsurfaces from edge to edge. It thus allows a construction which providesa substantially planar top surface 14 and bottom surface 18 of theformed support pillow 20. This also establishes a substantially stablesidewall width and thereby providing a means for maintain the support ofthe shoulder 30 constant when the top surface 14 supports the weight ofthe user's head and the shoulder 30 supports their neck.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the casing 12 showing an optional butpreferred opening 19 at one end of the gusset circumferential sidewall16. The opening 19 is of such a configuration to allow the insertion ofthe support pillow 20 into the internal cavity of the casing 12. Theopening 19 may be sewn shut but if not required is preferred as itallows for a washing of the casing 12. The opening 19 may remain open inthe as-used position but may also close by means of hook and loopfasteners, zipper, or other cooperating fasteners of the like.

The support pillow 20 can be seen in the top view of FIG. 6 withcentrally located passage 22. As noted, the favored mode of the passage22 is circular in shape as it allows for even stretching and contractionof the foam or other material forming the body of the pillow 20.However, as noted, and shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the passage can be ovalor rectangular or other shapes.

Additionally, the passage 22 may be configured in different sizes toincrease the area of non support and decrease the shoulder 30 size, toaccommodate different sized users and it is anticipated the device 10will be sold in such different sizes to accommodate various head sizes.Consequently, it should be noted that the relative passage 22 sizedepicted in the figure is merely there for demonstrative purposes.

The dimensions of the pillow 20 are configured to cooperatively engagefor an easy insertion and removal with the interior cavity 27 of thecasing 12. Again, the means for neck support of the user in the as-usedposition with their head laying upon an upper facing surface 11, isprovided by the shoulder 30. This shoulder 30 is defined by the area ofthe support pillow 20 between the circumference of the passage 22 andthe sidewalls 26 closest to the passage 22. As noted and shown in FIG.2, the position of the passage 22 may be varied to produce substantiallyequal dimensioned shoulders 30 or two different sized shoulders 30allowing a user to choose for comfort.

FIG. 7 shows the substantially planar shape of the sidewall 26 of thepillow 20 extending from the top surface 24 to the bottom surface 28.This shape conforms to the shape of the passage 22 of the casing 12 andprovides for a good cooperative engagement therein and the substantiallyplanar sleeping surfaces for the user.

While experimentation has shown that the passage communicating throughthe support pillow 20 is favored by users, it should be noted that thepassage 22 might also be provided with inserts 23 (FIG. 9) adapted toengage the passage 22. These inserts 23 may be provided with supportmaterial such as memory or other foam of varying density such as between2-8 pounds per square foot which is correlated to ILD ranges between 20to 40 ILD with 20 being the most compressible and 40 being the mostfirm. If supplied in a kit of inserts 23 of varying density to yieldvarying ILD, the user may choose any insert 23 from the kit to yield aninsert 23 which compresses to the point that their neck is comfortablypositioned. In that fashion, the area within the passage 22 can beadjustable for support of a portion of the user's head. Or, the passage22 may be provided with fluid filled or gel filled inserts 23 which maybe chilled or heated to provide temperature therapy to the user, such asin a hospital or home care setting.

As noted above, there is seen in FIG. 8 the device 10 herein assembledwith the support pillow 20 inside the support pillow casing 12, insertedwithin a conventional linen set pillow case 13. As noted, this is asubstantial consideration because many users spend hundreds of dollarson linen for bedrooms and are hesitant to use or employ strangelyconfigured or contoured pillows in combination with their linens. Thedevice 10 herein, by providing a support pillow which appearssubstantially conventional prior to and in an engagement with aconventional pillow case 13, will encourage more widespread use forusers formerly recalcitrant to do so with oddly configured supportpillows.

FIG. 9 depicts an exploded view of a mode of the device 10 wherein thesupport pillow 20 is formed in assembleable components. The supportpillow 20, in this mode, is provided with a planar first half 33engageable to either one of a planar second half 35 or a center section37.

The insertable center section 37, provides two means of adjustment tothe device 10. First a means for height adjustment of the upper facingsurface 11 above the bed or other support surface. Varying the thicknessof the center section 37 varies the height of the upper facing surface11 and the shoulder 30.

Additionally, means of adjustment of the firmness of the assembledsupport pillow 20 is provided by varying the firmness of the materialused for the center section 37. For instance, the center section 37 maybe formed of closed cell foam or gel style foam or latex foam which ismore springy and render the insert firmer to the user in the as-usedposition. Or, more compressible material such as memory viscoelasticmemory foam in a range of 2-7 pounds per square foot, which istemperature sensitive, can be employed to render the pillow 20 softer.Further, the center section 37 can be removed to lower the height of theupper facing surface 11 as an adjustment for smaller users such aschildren.

In the mode of the device 10 employing assembleable support pillows 20,the support pillow 20 can be provided as a kit with the first half 33engaged either one of a planar second half 35 or a center section 37,and with a plurality of center sections 37 available in differentheights and different density materials to make the assembled supportpillow harder or softer as well as taller or shorter.

FIG. 10 shows a slice through the support shoulder 30 of the device 10showing material forming the shoulder portion 30 to be of one materialwhich can be the same material the remainder of the support pillow 20 isformed, or could be different such as firmer material such as a denserVisco elastic memory foam style material.

FIG. 11 depicts a slice through the support shoulder 30 of the supportpillow 20 formed of two different materials. A central portion 41 isformed of one material which is sandwiched between adjoining portions43. This is one particularly favored mode of the device 10 to providebetter neck support to the users. A favored construction is forming theadjoining portions 43 from visco-elastic memory foam of 2-8 pounds persquare foot density, since it softens when it comes in contact with heatfrom the user's neck and conforms to shape for even support. The centralsection 41 would be formed of the denser memory foam, or more preferablyof a gel foam, or a memory foam with disbursed gel beads as in FIG. 12,both of which provides more support at higher compression levels andlong durations which collapses the softer memory foam.

FIG. 12 depicts another particularly preferred mode of the device 10wherein the shoulder 30 is formed of a visco-elastic memory foam 47 withgel foam beads 49 disbursed in the solid solution of memory foam 47.This mode performs especially well to provide contoured support of theneck, and firmer support under the higher compression levels the weightof the head and neck impart.

As noted above, the passage 22 is currently preferred in a substantiallycircular shape or the oval shape shown in FIG. 13 shows the supportpillow 20 of the device 10 herein wherein the passage 22 is oval.Additional shapes are anticipated such as that of FIG. 14 which showsthe support pillow 20 having a passage 22 being rectangular in shape.

Again, it is noted that the shoulder portions 30 can be formed ofdifferent widths to accommodate varying neck lengths of users. In onemode show previously in FIG. 2, this is accomplished by positioning thepassage 22 in a location off-center, or slightly off center such thatthe shoulder portion 30 on one side will be wider than the other.Alternatively, in another preferred mode in FIG. 15, the width of theshoulder portions 30 can be varied by forming a recess 50 communicatingform the sidewall 26 of the pillow 20 adjacent the shoulder portion 30extending towards the central passage 22. Thus, the shoulder portions 30can be varied by varying the depth of the recess 50 while maintainingthe central location of the passage 22 if desired. In all modes,however, it is known that some users have longer or shorter necks, and awider or narrower shoulder portion 30 can provide a means foraccommodating this.

Still further, shown in the views of FIGS. 16-20, additional enhancedneck support may be accomplished by forming the axial profile of theshoulder portions 30 with one of a raised protrusion 54 or inwardlycurved recessed cavity 52 which extends inwardly normal to the plane ofthe pillow 20 surface. In FIGS. 18-20 there is shown the shoulderportion 30 including a substantially central protrusion 54 of foam orother material which extends above the planar surface of the pillow.Such a protrusion 54 will provide a means for resistive bias against theneck of the user for enhanced support. Alternatively, in FIGS. 16, 17,and 20, the shoulder portion 30 may be formed having a substantiallycentral curved recess 52 which extends below the planar surface of thesupport pillow 20. Thus, in these mode, a means for cradled neck supportis provided.

In yet additional preferred modes, shown in FIGS. 21-25, stilladditional enhanced neck support may be provided by one or both shoulderportions 30 employing pocket portions 56 having one or two slits 59 ator near an end 58 of a pocket 56 which is formed and configured tocooperatively removably engaged inserts 60 adapted as a means foradditional neck support. The inserts 60 may have circular (FIG. 23),square (FIG. 24) or other suitably shaped cross sections, and can befoam of various durometer ratings for hardness, memory type foam ormixtures of memory and BLUEFLEX type gel memory foambeads, and/or heator cold packs. They may also be provided in a kit of different inserts60 having the above noted foam density range between 2-8 pounds persquare foot to yield the ILD between 20 to 40 and resulting compressionof the insert 60 to position the user's neck on the shoulder 30 in acomfortable alignment. Members of the kit may be sold at a store sousers my buy only the inserts 60 in the density desired to yield theproper ILD and compressed resistance against the weight of their neck tokeep it aligned.

If a heat or cold pack type insert 60 is employed, the pocket 56preferably includes a plurality of apertures 68 or perforationscommunicating between the exterior and interior of the pocket 56 as ameans for enhancing the thermal communication of the heat or cold packto the user's neck. The inserts 60 may also vary by thickness and may beplastic or polymer inserts which are flexible and stiffer than foam.

As shown in FIG. 22, it is particularly preferred that the pocket 56employed for engaging the inserts 60 would have a slightly smaller axiallength, than the inserts 60, such that when inserted, the distal ends ofthe insert 60 are positioned near or outside the ends 58 of the pocket.Access to the various pockets would be provided by a slit 59 formed inthe body of the device 10 such that an insert 60 may be slid fromoutside the pocket and engaged therein. In this manner when weight isput on the insert 60, the ends will not be compressed within the pocket56 and instead maintain their shape.

Additional enhanced neck support can be provided by forming thepreferably elongated cylindrical inserts 60 with an axial cross sectionand profile being having an upward or downward curvature. An upwardcurved axial profile, may herein be provided by having a substantiallycentral protrusion 64 which is higher/thicker than distal ends. In thismanner, the insert 60 would have an exterior which protrudes slightly inthe central portion, between its ends, and toward the upper surface ofthe shoulder 30 and when compressed by the user's neck form a means forresistive bias against the weight of the neck of the user for enhancedsupport which is adjustable depending on the aforementioned foam typeand density forming the insert 60 which may be purchased from theavailable kit.

Alternatively, a downward curved axial provided may be provided byforming a recessed central portion 62 of the insert 60 which islower/thinner than the distal ends. Such an insert 60 would thereforprovide a cradled support area in its mid portion and in the surroundingshoulder 30 when compressed by the users neck. Still further, the kit 66of inserts 60 may be provided to the user having varying degrees ofupward or downward curved profiles, and made from any of a variety offoam materials which allows the user to selectively choose from asneeded.

It is particularly preferred that the pocket employed for engaging theinserts 60 would have to have a slightly smaller axial length than theinserts 60 themselves, such that when inserted, the distal ends of theinsert 60 are positioned near or against the ends 58 or endwall of thepocket 56. In this manner when weight from the user's neck iscommunicated to the insert 60, the ends of the insert 60 stop at theside edges or ends 58 of the pocket 56, and therefor maintain theirshape.

While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of thedisclosed head and neck support pillow device have been shown anddescribed herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, itshould be noted that the pillow 20 can be employed without the case andperform well, and a latitude of modification, various changes andsubstitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will beapparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may beemployed without a corresponding use of other features without departingfrom the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also beunderstood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications andvariations and substitutions, as would occur to those skilled in theart, are considered included within the scope of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pillow apparatus for spine alignment and necksupport comprising: a pillow adapted for engagement within an interiorcavity of a pillow casing; said pillow having a body formed of resilientmaterial and having substantially planar first surface opposite asubstantially planar parallel second surface; a sidewall communicatingbetween said first and second surfaces, said sidewall defining aperimeter of said pillow; a passage defined by an uninterruptedcircumferential edge, said passage communicating between apertures insaid first and second surface at a central portion of both said firstsurface and said second surface; a pair of opposing shoulder portions ofsaid pillow each of said opposing shoulder portions defined by anunbroken area of said pillow body running between said perimeter of saidpillow and said circumferential edge defining said passage; saidshoulder portions each defining a support for a neck of a user havingtheir head positioned in an as-used position, partially aligned withsaid passage when said pillow is positioned upon a support surface; atleast one of said shoulder portions being defined by a recesscommunicating from the sidewall adjacent the shoulder portion extendingtowards the central passage; said passage forming a relief adapted for apositioning of a portion of said user's head positioned therein withincircumferential edge; said passage defining a heat sink forcommunication of heat thereto from said user's head while positioned insaid as-used position; whereby a user positioning their head upon saidsupport surface area in said as used position, can employ either of saidshoulder portions as a neck support while concurrently employing saidpassage as said heat sink.
 2. The pillow apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe two shoulder portions have different widths, each width beingdefined by a distance between said perimeter of said pillow and saidcircumferential edge defining said passage.
 3. The pillow apparatus ofclaim 1, at least one of said shoulder portions being formed with apocket therein, said pocket being configured for cooperative removableengagement with an insert.
 4. The pillow apparatus of claim 3, whereinthe insert is elongated along a longitudinal axis thereof, andconfigured for being inserted into the pocket, such that thelongitudinal axis of the insert is substantially parallel to a length ofthe unbroken area defining the pocket.